Australian Energy Market Operator

AEMO operates Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM), the interconnected power system in Australia’s eastern and south-eastern seaboard, and the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) and power system in Western Australia.

AEMO operates gas retail markets in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. AEMO also operates wholesale gas markets in south-eastern Australia, those being the Declared Wholesale Gas Market in Victoria (DWGM), the Short Term Trading Market in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney (STTM), and the Gas Supply Hub (GSH), whose trading locations are based at Wallumbilla in Queensland, and Moomba in South Australia. AEMO also operates the Natural Gas Services Bulletin Board (GBB), and is system operator of the Victorian Gas Declared Transmission System. AEMO is also responsible for Gas Services Information functions in Western Australia.

National role

AEMO’s national electricity emergency management arrangements are detailed in the Power System Emergency Management Plan (PSEMP). These arrangements are governed by the National Electricity Market (NEM) Rules, the NEM Emergency Powers Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and the NEM Emergency Protocol.

During a power system emergency, the PSEMP states that AEMO will:

Consider the safety of its employees, NEM participants, and the community as its first priority.

Take all reasonable actions to return the power system to a secure operating state.

Restore electricity generation supply as quickly as possible.

Ensure power sharing between jurisdictions in accordance with appropriate guidelines.

Take action as necessary and within the provisions of the NEM Emergency Powers MOU and the NEM Emergency Protocol (available below).

The emergency arrangements outlined in the PSEMP complement each NEM jurisdiction's own power system emergency response arrangements and communications plans. These plans may include state arrangements with emergency services and government representatives.

The PSEMP is distributed to key stakeholders across all NEM jurisdictions, and is not available as a public document.

National Electricity Market Emergency Management Forum

The NEM Emergency Management Forum (NEMEMF) consists of representatives from industry and state and federal governments. It is charged with reviewing and improving the emergency plans and procedures that apply during power system emergencies. Key to this improvement process is participation in annual exercises that test these emergency arrangements.

National Electricity Market External Communication Committee

The NEM External Communication Committee (NEMECC) comprises senior communications representatives from jurisdictions and network service providers across the NEM The committee develops coordinated approaches to managing and disseminating information to the public and stakeholders before or during emergencies. The committee identifies opportunities and initiatives that will drive effectiveness and consistency of emergency communication messaging between the states, particularly in the event of multi-state outages.